


Staring At The Future And All I See Is You

by OneMoreNight1996



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Betty Cooper Loves Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones Loves Betty Cooper, Parenting Class, Smut Near the End, alice cooper does not approve, archie can't stop staring, jughead is soft for betty cooper, pregnancy bellies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-11-02 06:55:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20659955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneMoreNight1996/pseuds/OneMoreNight1996
Summary: When Betty and Veronica got stuck taking a parenting class this was not what they had in mind. When the teacher hands out realistic pregnancy bellies that they're expected to wear over the weekend and due a report on, neither of them is particularly enthused, but their boyfriends seem to have different opinions. It's certainly an interesting weekend for all of them.





	Staring At The Future And All I See Is You

Betty and Veronica hadn't planned on taking a parenting class when the school year started but due to the scheduling of other classes they'd had no choice, in fact when the counselor was helping them set up their schedule she had stared at Betty a little too long when she'd suggested the class as an option. Betty knew that her attitude had to due with Polly and her pregnancy but it still made her want to role her eyes. In the end they'd ended up in the class learning vaguely disturbing things about what happened to a person's body during pregnancy and had also been forced to look at pictures of particularly nasty STI's. The teacher had also handed out condoms and told them not to be stupid and to use them, leaving the whole class walking around with brown paper bags for the rest of the day, which she and Veronica had hastily slid into their backpacks when they met up with the boys for lunch.

That particular day in class they were sat at their shared table when the teacher came in looking more cheery than should be allowed first thing in the morning as she and Veronica downed coffee from their to go cups. They shared a look as the teacher dragged a basket out from the closet to the front of the room and gave them all a big smile.

"Alright, I know it's Friday but I've got some homework for you guys this weekend." She said and her words were followed with a chorus of groans which only seemed to make her grin wider before continuing. "The affects a pregnancy can have on a body can't be replicated authentically but the mental affects of the reactions you receive can be. The national teen pregnancy rates have dropped but are still alarmingly high so this weekend, you all will be pregnant teenagers with the help of these." She tapped the top of the box beside her just as a boy in the back of the class raised his hand.

"What about the boys?" He asked. "I'm certain we'd get more looks than a pregnant teenage girl."

"For the boys, you'll be given a baby." She said happily. "The dolls you receive will record your actions and give a score at the end of the weekend. They are just like a real baby, they cry and need to be fed and changed. At the end of the weekend I want you to write a report on your findings, including the reactions you get from other people and your own feelings throughout the project, a full page single spaced."

Betty wrote down the instructions as she eyed the box at the teachers feet warily. What could possibly be in there that could emulate a pregnancy? When she had signed up for the class she had expected to get the babies that were being handed out to the boys not whatever was in the box at the front of the room. She exchanged another look with Veronica and blew out a breath as they waited for the teacher to explain their part. As she made her way back to the front of the room and cracked open the box, all the gilrs and some of the boys in the room leaned forward, trying desperately to get a glimpse.

Their teacher lifted out a flesh colored lump and held it up for them to see. It had a fake bellybutton on the front and straps that she was holding it by leaving them all staring at it in confusion.

"This is a pregnancy belly." She said, wiggling it slightly. "When worn, it will make you look as if you are five to six months pregnant. You girls will wear it for the weekend and document the experience in your report." 

She moved around the room once again, setting a belly in front of each of them. Veronica pressed her finger into hers the moment it was laid on the table and Betty sighed as she lifted hers gently from the table. The teacher demonstrated to them how to put it on and allowed them to go into her office to place it on under their clothes like it was meant to be worn. She also provided actual maternity tops for them to put on over the bellies. Betty and Veronica went into the office together to help each other strap the bellies on before pulling their clothes on and Betty had to laugh as Veronica complained that the shirt didn't go with her skirt.

The belly was heavier than Betty had been expecting and she couldn't stop staring at herself in the mirror almost astonished at how real it looked. Betty thought Veronica looked adorable with her belly and told her as much, receiving a glare in return, making her laugh. Veronica stood next to her in front of the mirror for a moment before rolling her eyes.

"The boys are going to flip when they see these." She said and Betty shrugged.

"Probably." She conceded.

"We should go to New York this weekend. You know, to get reactions from people other than the residents of Riverdale. We can make a weekend of it." Veronica said and Betty glanced at her.

"Just you and me, or are you planning on having the boys come along?" She asked.

"Of course the boys will come." Veronica said with a shrug before she shook her belly lightly. "We can't go somewhere without our daddies."

"Please never say that again." Betty said, wincing slightly. Veronica seemed to realize how it sounded a second later and laughed and she bumped Betty lightly.

"You know what I meant." She said.

The rest of the class was spent talking more in depth about pregnancy and watching a birthing video before they were allowed to blissfully leave the room. Veronica struggled for a moment to get up from her seat making Betty have to yank her up by her hand as she rolled her eyes but they were finally both up and walking. They made their way to their next class together, knowing they wouldn't see the boys until lunch. 

____

The reaction they got from the boys was priceless. Archie had caught sight of them first as Jughead's back was to them and he seemed to stop in the middle of a sentence, his mouth still open, as he stared at them. His abrupt silence alerted Jughead to turn and follow his gaze, his reaction much the same as Archie's. By the time they got to the table with their lunch trays Veronica was already rolling her eyes.

"We know, we look massive, no need to stare." She snapped.

"Sorry." Archie said immediately, his eyes still lingering on her belly. Betty slid into the seat next to Jughead as Veronica sat beside Archie and she noticed his eyes studying her.

"So what's up with the bellies?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Parenting class. We're supposed to wear them all weekend and do a report on the experience." She said, popping a fry in her mouth. 

"Which is why we've decided we're going to New York this weekend so cancel whatever plans you had." Veronica said from the other side of the table.

"You look good." Archie said shyly. "Just saying."

"I look like I should have my own orbit." Veronica responded and Betty rolled her eyes.

"You're so dramatic, you aren't even that big. Remember when Polly was pregnant?" Betty said and Veronica winced.

"Okay, you've got a point." She said. "Although this thing is heavy as hell."

"Right." Betty said. Archie and Jughead stared at them for a moment before Jughead cleared his throat.

"Do you want a foot rub?" He asked teasingly and Betty turned to glare at him.

"Watch it or I'll make you wear this thing." She said and he held his hands up in surrender, a grin still on his face.

"What are we going to do in New York?" Archie asked, changing the subject. "It's not like we can go to a club with the two of you wearing those."

"We'll go shopping." Veronica said like it was the foregone conclusion.

"Shopping?" Jughead asked incredulously. Veronica shrugged.

"We're supposed to be observing the reactions of people. There are a lot of baby stores and boutiques we can go to." She said and Betty raised an eyebrow.

"You want to go baby shopping?" She asked and Veronica nodded.

"We look pregnant enough to go into the stores." She said.

"What are you going to tell people?" Archie asked and they both looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean Arch?" Betty asked and he shrugged.

"People are nosy, especially when they notice you're pregnant. They're probably going to ask about the due date and gender and all of that." He said and Betty and Veronica exchanged looks.

"He has a point." Betty said.

They spent the rest of lunch coming up with their cover stories. The teacher had told them that the pregnancy bellies were made to look about five to six months along so they added up and figured out when that would logically mean their babies were due. It added up to October as being the month the babies would be due. Betty picked October second as her fictional due date because of Jughead's birthday and Veronica picked the tenth, from there they decided that Betty would say she was having a girl and Veronica would say she was having a boy. As they were eating Betty found herself subconsciously rubbing the belly and she saw Veronica doing the same. 

The rest of the day was spent observing the other students reactions to them but Betty knew she wouldn't include those findings in the report because most of them already knew about the project or at the very least knew that they hadn't been pregnant when they came to school that morning and so thus couldn't possibly be this pregnant by now so their reactions weren't really what they would be. 

She was exhausted from carrying around the extra weight by the time she got home but she used what energy she did have to pack a small bag for the trip to New York, which Veronica had informed them that they were leaving for that night, before she went downstairs to get a snack. She was thankful for the chairs as she slumped into one and opened her granola bar. She closed her eyes for only a moment before she heard a loud gasp and she opened them to find her mother standing at the edge of the kitchen, staring at her. Betty sighed and pulled herself up out of the chair.

"Elizabeth! What is that?" Her mother exclaimed and Betty rolled her eyes.

"Relax mom, I think you'd notice before I was this pregnant." She said, throwing away the wrapper. "It's for a project in my parenting class."

"What sort of project has teenage girls walking around like that?" She snapped.

"It's a project on teen pregnancy and the affect on your mental state." She explained. "It really isn't a big deal mom."

"Well I don't like it." She said with her lips pursed. "I have half a mind to call the school and complain."

"Please don't." Betty groaned. "Just let it go. It's only for the weekend."

"Fine." She snapped and Betty rolled her eyes as she walked toward the door.

"By the way, I'm going to New York this weekend so you won't have to look at me anyway." She tossed over her shoulder as she grabbed the bag she'd laid by the door and left the house completely without giving her a moment to protest. 

She climbed into her car and began the drive to Sunnyside trailer park to pick up Jughead. They were all meeting at the Pembrooke to have her driver take them to the city. Veronica assured them that she'd book the hotel rooms and get everything sorted by the time they got there so none of them had to worry about anything but showing up. Betty had agreed to pick up Jughead from his trailer rather than have him drive his motorcycle and leave it in the Lodges garage like Betty planned to do with her car.

____

Betty hadn't expected FP to be the one to open the door, assuming he'd be at the Whyte Wyrm or somewhere else with the Serpents, but that's what happened. He looked like he was about to say something before his eyes drifted down to he obvious belly she was sporting and it seemed to make him speechless. He'd seen her only a few days ago so she knew he had to be aware that the belly wasn't real but he was still staring so she cleared her throat making his eyes snap to hers.

"I'm here to pick up Jughead. We're going to go to New York for the weekend." She said politely and he just nodded and moved out of the doorway, still staring at her.

Betty stands in the living room with FP in silence as she can hear Jughead in the bathroom, probably gathering toiletries, so she knows he's probably mostly packed already. The silence is awkward due to the fact that FP's eyes keep flickering to her belly but he still hasn't said anything so Betty is grateful when Jughead emerges from the hallway. He slings his bag over his shoulder as he pulls her out of the house, both waving goodbye to FP as they go, and he takes the keys from her as they get to the car. She climbs into the passenger seat and they're on their way back to the north side.

"I think I broke your dad." She said and he glances at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked and she shrugged and motioned to the belly.

"I think it freaked him out because he didn't say anything the entire time I was there." She said and Jughead laughed.

"He's probably trying to figure out if he missed a few months." He said and Betty rolled her eyes.

"It isn't funny." She said but the grin on her face said differently. Jughead glanced at her, his face going serious for a moment.

"It looks good on you, you know." He said quietly. "The whole pregnancy thing."

"I'm not actually pregnant though." She said quickly.

"I know that but that thing is actually really realistic." He said with a shrug. "I'm just saying that you look nice."

"Do you want kids?" She asked. They'd never talked about it before despite having been dating for over two years. He shrugged again.

"Not right away obviously." He said, glancing at her. "But one day, maybe."

"Really?" She asked quietly. "You'd want to have a baby with me even with my crappy serial killer genetics?"

"I wanna have everything with you Betty. You should know that." He said seriously before he cracked a small smile to lighten the mood. "Even with your crappy genetics. I've got a few bad genetics to add to the bag, should be interesting."

"Maybe we should just adopt." She said with a small laugh. 

"We'll see." He said.

The rest of the drive was spent letting the music fill the silence as thoughts ran around her head. She and Jughead had been together for a long time and the subject of marriage had come up but usually only in passing but recently their conversations had become more serious like making plans instead of a hypothetical maybe, both of them sure that they'd be married at some point. They graduated high school in only a few short weeks and their future was fast approaching and the one thing they knew for sure is that their futures included each other.

The realization that their future may also eventually include children made Betty feel some type of way, not exactly scared, but cautious. They'd been joking when they said it but their combined genetics were actually a cause for concern. She knew logically that everyone's genetics were a mixed bag and it was only a slim chance for them to pass on their worst genes but she also kind of didn't want to play russian roulette with her kid. The majority of her family had some type of mental illness herself included, though it was controlled with medications, and Jughead's father was an alcoholic so their genetics weren't the best.

On the other hand, when she imagined a child that was a perfect mix of the two of them, it made her smile. As they pulled up to the Pembrooke, she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind to come back to later when the decision was more pressing, determined to enjoy this weekend with her friends. When they got up to the Lodge's apartment they found that Archie was already there with Veronica, both of them lounging on the couch which Betty could already tell Veronica was going to regret when she had to get up again.

Veronica informed them that she had booked a shared suite for them with it's own kitchen and lounge and two separate bedrooms instead of booking two different rooms. They all hung around the apartment for another hour until Mrs. Lodge got home from work and the driver was free to take them. Veronica tried to get up and struggled for a minute before she huffed and rolled herself completely off the couch and onto the floor. Archie rushed forward to help her off the floor while Betty hid her face in Jughead's chest to keep herself from laughing but she could feel him shaking with silent laughter anyway.

Veronica blew out a breath once she was on her feet and straightened her shoulders to stride out of the apartment like she hadn't just embarrassed herself in front of all of them. Archie followed behind her helplessly, not daring to even crack a smile, but Betty could see the amusement in his eyes. The trip back down to the garage didn't take long as Veronica insisted on taking the elevator instead of the stairs. The driver opened the doors for them to climb into the car without comment, not even glancing at their bellies.

On the drive to the city Betty rested her head on Jughead's shoulder and dozed off to sleep, the exhaustion from earlier coming back to her, and she felt him place a kiss on the top of her head.

______

Checking in at the hotel was more difficult than they expected as they lady behind the desk stared at them judgmentally and called Veronica's mother to make sure that she was allowed to use the credit card for the room. Betty noted the response down as soon as they finally managed to get up to the room and Veronica rolled her eyes as she complained about the service.

"You know she was definitely looking for rings." Jughead said, bringing their attention to him.

"Rings?" Archie asked.

"I saw her glance at Veronica's hand first, then Betty's." He said with a shrug. "I assume she was looking for wedding rings."

"Why would she be looking for wedding rings? She obviously knew how old we were, I mean she called my mom!" Veronica exclaimed.

"She called your mom because you're using _her_ credit card but she also asked for our birthdays so she knows we're all eighteen." He said. "You and Betty are very outwardly pregnant and she was old enough to have a traditional view. She probably expected us to all be married."

"That attitude is so stupid." Betty said with and eye roll. "You can have a kid with someone without being married. It's really not as big a deal as everyone seems to make it."

"Yeah seriously, it's not the 1950's." Veronica agreed. 

"Maybe we should get rings." Archie suggested making them all look at him. "Not real ones obviously but maybe we wouldn't get so many stares if people assumed we were married."

"Can't." Betty said shaking her head. "It would skew the results we're supposed to be gathering for our report."

"Right, of course." Archie said nodding.

"That's the point Archiekins, people are supposed to look." Veronica agreed.

"If we're going to get up early tomorrow to go shopping we should probably get to bed." Betty said, nodding to the window. It had taken them an hour to get to New York and almost that long to check into the room so it was now dark outside. They said their goodnights and made their way to their own rooms, where Jughead immediately laid down on the bed. 

Betty pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it onto the chair in the corner before she reached around and undid the strap keeping the belly stuck to her. After she sat the belly on the table she rolled her shoulders as she got into her pajamas, a simple pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt, before joining Jughead on the bed. He sat up and pulled her back into him before his hands moved to her shoulders and he began to work the knots out of it. It hurt but in the best way and a soft sigh fell from her lips.

They were quite as he worked the knots out of her muscles until she was fully relaxed into him and he removed his hands to wrap his arms around her waist, placing a soft kiss on the back of her neck as he held her. She ran her hands along his arms until she got to his hands and laced their fingers together as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Earlier today, when we were talking about kids, you got quiet." He said, his mouth pressed against her shoulder. "Do you not want to have kids, with me, I mean?"

"No Jug!" She said, spinning in his arms to face him. "It's not that, not at all. It's just....I was serious, you know, about my genetics. They're really not great. People were right, crazy runs in the family, and I'm not sure if you wanted to deal with that. If _we_ wanted to deal with that."

"Betty...." He said softly, pulling her in for a gentle kiss before pulling back and meeting her eyes. "You are amazing and I'd consider myself lucky if we had a kid that was even a little bit like you. I know that the issues in your family makes you wary but we can handle it, no matter what it is, together. I wouldn't care if our kid was born with an extra appendage or a weird obsession with bugs or anything else that came along because it would be a part of you and me and I think that's amazing. And if you really are that opposed to it, we could adopt, I wouldn't care. All I want is a future and a family with_ you_ Betty Cooper, it doesn't matter how we get there." 

"I love you." She said, her eyes a little teary. Jughead smiled and kissed her again.

"I love you too."

_____

The next morning dawned bright and early with Veronica bursting into their room and announcing the arrival of breakfast making Betty roll over with a groan and throw a pillow at her. She danced back out of the room with a laugh as Betty sat up and ran a hand over her face as Jughead woke up next to her. She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his cheek before climbing off the bed and moving into the ensuite bathroom to brush her teeth. It only took another minute for Jughead to join her at the sink and they brushed their teeth standing next to each other.

After washing her toothbrush free of toothpaste she began the routine of washing her face and applying moisturizer and sunscreen. She knew if she took time for a shower then Veronica would come bounding back in with no regard for privacy to drag her out so she resolved to wait until they returned that night. Betty knew that Veronica had planned to go baby shopping that morning but had set the afternoon aside for separate date time, intending on splitting up and dragging Archie around the city. Betty wasn't sure what she and Jughead were going to do yet but she was sure they could figure out something, it was New York after all, something was always going on.

When she and Jughead got into the shared kitchen, the table was piled high with breakfast food and Betty's stomach gave a quiet rumble. She hadn't put the belly back on yet and she could see that Veronica hadn't either as they sat down. Archie was already stuffing pancakes in his mouth so he gave them a wave when they sat down instead of a verbal greeting. Jughead followed his lead and drenched some pancakes in syrup. Veronica was nibbling on some oatmeal with honey drizzled over the top but Betty reached for the fruit tarts in the middle of the table with sugar dusted over them. The bitter taste of the berries was balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the sugar and she hummed appreciatively.

"So, I've picked a few places to go for shopping." Veronica said, her phone in her hand. "I figured that we should have a variety of reactions so I've picked three stores to go to."

"Okay, lay it on me." Betty said.

"The first one is a thrift store frequented by low income families, the second is a normal store at the mall, and the third one is a high end brand." She rattled off. "I assume we'll get different reactions from the different groups." 

"It's a good idea V." Betty said. "Are you sure we can do all of this in just the morning?"

"Sure." She said with a shrug. "We're only going to two today because the high end one required an appointment so we're going to go to it tomorrow, but I've calculated the commute and added a few hours on each side for shopping. We'll get it done and then we can have our separate dates."

"Okay, sounds good." She said.

Archie finally seemed to take a breath between bites as he looked at them. "Are you two going to wear the bellies for the dates too?" 

"Of course Archikins." Veronica said with a shrug. "We have to get the reactions of people when we're not together too."

"You know people are going to think we did this on purpose right?" Betty asked looking at her. "Like that pregnancy pact."

"I remember watching that movie." Veronica said and Betty rolled her eyes.

"It was based on a real story." Betty explained.

"Do you think people are really going to think that?" Jughead asked sand Betty shrugged.

"I mean with the bumps we look like we're about the same length into our pregnancies. People _are_ going to question it." She said.

"Okay, so maybe you have a point." Veronica said. "There'd be no way to convince them that it was an accident."

"So say we did it on purpose." Archie said with a shrug.

"Well that will certainly get some reactions." Veronica said. Betty shrugged.

"I guess it doesn't really matter what people think." She said. "It's not like it's actually real."

"Good point." Veronica said.

They dropped the subject after that, all of them focused on finishing their breakfast, until Betty and Veronica retreated to their rooms to put on the bellies and get ready for the day. Betty had packed accordingly to accommodate the bump, pulling on a simple white sundress with bright yellow flowers on it. It fell over the bump easily and brushed against the front of her legs, shorter than usual due to the belly but nothing scandalous so she felt comfortable wearing it. She brushed out her hair and left it down instead of pulling it up into a ponytail before she tackled the task of putting her shoes on. 

She'd chosen a pair of white keds to go with the dress not wanting to wear heals with the extra strain of the belly. It took her ten minutes of trying before she huffed in annoyance and carried the shoes into the living room where she found Veronica in a pair of jeans and a tank top which made Betty pause and stare at her with her mouth slightly open, she didn't think she'd ever seen Veronica wear _jeans_ before. Veronica noticed her staring in the mirror and rolled her eyes as she spun to face her.

"I know okay." She said. "I look ridiculous but none of my dresses would fit over the stupid belly. If I ever actually have kids I'll definitely have to go shopping first."

"No, you look cute." Betty said with a snort. 

"Shut up." Veronica said, marching past her to the table where the boys were still nibbling on breakfast and Betty followed behind her banging the shoes in her hand onto the table and taking her seat again before she turned to Jughead who was staring at her with wide eyes, probably having to do with the loud noise she'd just made with the shoes.

"You okay?" He asked and she huffed.

"I couldn't get my shoes on." She said in annoyance.

"I did that before I even put the belly on." Veronica said from across the table and Betty glared at her while Jughead and Archie both laughed. Betty's head whipped over to Jughead, the glare still firmly in place, making him stop immediately as he reached down and pulled her foot up into his lap.

"Let me help you Betts." He said, placing the shoes on her feet without further comment before placing them back on the floor and she smiled at him.

"Thank you Juggie." She said softly and he leaned over to kiss her softly until Veronica made a fake retching sound making them pull back to look at her.

"You two are nauseatingly sweet." She said but she had a smile on her face when she said it. 

______

The thrift store they ended up at was small and quaint. It wasn't in the best part of the city but Betty found that she liked it anyway as the went inside. Veronica's outfit worked out for them in the long run because it meant she didn't look like her usual self, meaning she didn't look ridiculously rich, so they fit in quiet well with the other people in the store. 

As soon as they got inside Veronica and Archie split off from them, with her dragging him toward the baby boys clothes keeping with their cover story, while Betty and Jughead went to the baby girl section. Betty browsed through the multitude of pink onesies and sleepers while also keeping an eye on the reactions from other people. She realized quickly that no one was really paying attention to her or her belly as they looked around themselves so she shrugged and began looking at the clothes in earnest.

As she was pushing the hangers cross the rod to get a better look at the outfits her eye caught one that was a soft mint green and she pulled it out to look at. The material was soft against her hand and there was a giraffe embroidered on the front of it. It was a sleeper with attached feet and she smiled as she looked at it. It really was cute. She was distracted from her admiration of the item by the sound of her name being called.

"Betts, look what I found." Jughead called from a little further down the rail and she looked at him. He held up a onesie against his own body and she grinned as she moved toward him. It was a short sleeved onesie that was black and had a motorcycle printed on the front of it. She ran her hand over it as she reached him. "It's perfect."

"Our child is not getting on a motorcycle until they're at least thirty Jughead Jones." She warned and he laughed.

"You rode a motorcycle when you were sixteen." He pointed out and she shrugged.

"That is not the point." She said with a grin.

"You're going to tell them _they_ can't when_ you_ were a little rebel?" He asked and she nodded.

"Damn straight." She answered and he pulled her in for a kiss.

"We'll renegotiate later." He said when he pulled back and she rolled her eyes.

"Deal." She said. They were interrupted only moments later by Veronica appearing beside them.

"They have baby furniture in the back." She said. "We though you'd want to come check it out."

Betty and Jughead exchanged a look before placing the clothes back on the rail and following her to the back of the shop. Archie was standing next to a crib as he ran his hand over the rail. There was a whole section with baby furniture and they all walked around looking at all of it. Betty found a baby swing with dangling animals on it and when she pushed the button on the side it began to play a lullaby.

"I never realized how much stuff you needed for a baby." Archie said next to them. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready for it."

"Little late for that." Veronica said in a teasing voice as she ran her hand over her belly and Archie rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, so we're going method then?" He said.

"Oh absolutely." Veronica said.

They spent the next hour looking through the furniture and going back to the clothes where Veronica insisted that they'd have to at least buy something so it would seem authentic, so Betty picked out the motorcycle onesie they'd been looking at and Veronica had plucked a cute sleeper with dinosaurs on it off of the rack before taking them to the register and paying for them with her credit card.

The drive to the next store took less time than they'd been anticipating but Betty was thankful for it. Sitting in traffic was the worst so she was happy that they'd avoided that for the most part. They all trailed behind Veronica into the mall where she seemed to know exactly where she was going as she led them to a baby boutique in the mall. They were greeted immediately by a perky girl behind the register but Betty could see her eyes studying them even as she smiled and she assumed it was because of their age.

Veronica ignored the reaction as she moved further into the store and again they all followed her. Archie was looking around with wide eyes at all of the items hanging from the walls and displays. Betty noticed a display with gift baskets and she drew Jughead toward it to look. Each basket had a bottle of baby lotion, baby shampoo, a towel and a bottle. Betty picked one up to look closer and a woman appeared next to them with a smile.

"Can I help you find anything?" She asked politely, obviously an employee.

"Oh no, we're just looking." Jughead said quickly as Betty returned the basket to the shelf.

"How far along are you?" She asked. 

"Six months." Betty said automatically.

"You've still got a bit to go then huh?" She asked ad Betty nodded as she observed the woman. Her word and tone were polite but Betty could see the judgement she was trying to hide in her eyes. Jughead wrapped an arm around her and she knew that he saw it too.

"Yeah." He said casually. "We've got most everything we need already though. Passed down from her sister of course."

"Oh, lovely." The woman said smiling at her. "Your sister is older then?"

"Oh yeah, by a year." Betty said and she could see the woman's face falter at the information.

"She had twins." Jughead said next to her as he squeezed her waist lightly. "Thank god we're not. One's enough for now, right babe?"

"Right." She said, smiling up at him. 

"Hmm." The woman in front of her hummed and Betty could see that she was having trouble holding her tongue and it was that moment that Veronica and Archie appeared beside them.

"Oh my God, B. They have the cutest hats." She exclaimed holding up a baby blue hat with a football knitted into it. "It's perfect. Archie's the quarterback after all."

"Oh good lord." The woman beside them exclaimed, her eyes bouncing from Betty to Veronica and their prominent bumps. "Was this not an accident?"

"Of course not." Veronica snapped, rolling her eyes. "We had sex ed, we're not stupid."

All three of them stared at her with wide eyes as the woman looked at them both. Betty had logically known that they had decided to say it was planned if they were asked but she certainly hadn't been expecting Veronica to snap at someone like that.

"What do your parents think of this then?" The woman asked, snapping right back and Veronica shrugged.

"My father is in jail so I doubt he cares and my mother is the mayor of the town we live in so no one is really going to say anything." She said. "And Betty's mother had a kid in high school and so did her sister so what are they going to say when she follows their example?"

"Well, I hope you all realize that it isn't all sunshine and rainbows." The woman said. "You aren't going to have cute play dates or whatever you thought you would have when you decided to get pregnant."

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Archie snapped. "It's not like _you're_ going to have to raise them."

Betty and Jughead exchanged a look and Betty pulled the hat out of Veronica's hand and placed it on the shelf before they pulled their friends out of the store. Once they were far enough away that Betty was sure they wouldn't just go back in and continue arguing before she turned to them with wide eyes.

"What the hell was that about?" She asked and Veronica sighed.

"Sorry guys, we didn't mean to start something but another employee came up to us like she did you and I could see them watching us like they thought we were going to steal something. I got irritated but I shouldn't have snapped." Veronica said and Betty glanced at Archie.

"And what's your excuse?" She asked and he sighed.

"I don't like the way they were looking at us." He said. "They don't know anything about us, they just saw the bellies and suddenly it was like we were carrying a sign announcing us as criminals."

"Okay, fair enough." Jughead said. "I could tell that woman was judging us hard so I get it." 

"Me too." Betty said. "Anyway we should grab something to eat before we split off separately."

"I'm in for that." Veronica said. "Carrying this thing around has made me ravenous."

______

Betty and Jughead left Veronica and Archie outside the mall as they turned the opposite way on the sidewalk, intent on exploring the city, somehow ending up in central park. People were everywhere, on benches and laid out on picnic blankets, eating and reading and talking. Betty linked her hand with Jughead's as they walked through the park observing everything with excitement in their eyes until they reached the duck pond and Betty pulled Jughead over to a bench to sit. They were quiet as they people watched, content to sit together in silence until Jughead shifted to look at her.

"What do you think about New York?" He asked and she looked at him as she shrugged.

"I love it." She said. "It's so busy and there's always something to do no matter what time it is. It's so different from Riverdale."

"What would you think about living here?" He asked and she looked at him fully. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes on the duck pond, so she turned his face to hers. Their eyes met.

"What are you asking Juggie?" She asked and he sighed as he placed his hands over hers.

"We're graduating in a few weeks and then we'll be free to go anywhere or do anything." He said. "In every version of the future, I see you and me, together. I'm wondering if, in that future, you might want to live here with me."

"Are you asking me to move in with you?" She asked quietly.

"Not right away, we still have to graduate, but I'm asking you to consider it." He said quietly. "We've both already recieved our acceptance letters from NYU. I know we hadn't decided on definitely going there because it's so close to Riverdale but we both love the city and I'm just wondering if, instead of living in the dorms, you'd maybe consider getting a place of our own."

"Of course Jug." She said before kissing him soundly. "I'd love to move in with you."

"Good." He said smiling at her. "Because I've already started looking at apartments online."

"I love you." Betty said.

"I love you." Jughead returned.

They were so distracted smiling at each other as they made plans for their future that they didn't notice the old lady approaching them at first but she politely cleared her throat to gain their attention. When Betty turned to look at her a practiced smile replaced the genuine one she'd been wearing as she waited for the woman to speak. She had curly white hair and her dress was in a style that made Betty think of the fifties but she had a gentle smile on her face so Betty felt comfortable that she wasn't about to lecture them but you never know.

"Can I sit?" She asked, her voice soft a grandmotherly. Despite there being multiple other benches around that she could sit on, Betty scooted closer to Jughead and patted the spot next to her in invitation. The woman sat next to them, placing her bag down next to her feet and turning to them, the smile still on her face. "I see you're expecting a little one."

"Yes." Jughead answered softly.

"Boy or girl?" She asked.

"It's a girl." Betty answered.

"Have you picked out a name yet?" She asked and Betty's eyes widened in panic. They hadn't talked about names when they'd talked about everything else.

"Alice." Jughead voice came and she gave him a look before schooling her expression but the sparkle in the old woman's eyes told her that she'd definitely noticed it.

"Not a fan of the name dear?" She asked and Betty blushed lightly.

"It's not that." Betty said. "It's just that Alice is my mother's name and she'd never stop gloating if we actually named our child after her. It would be insufferable."

"Right, we can think of another one then." Jughead said and Betty could hear the grimace in his voice even though she wasn't looking at him and it almost made her want to laugh.

"Oh, well you still have plenty of time to decide." The old woman said. "When I had my daughter, I didn't pick her name until the day she was born. When you see them for the first time the right name will come to you."

"What's your daughters name?" Jughead asked.

"Anna." She said, a smile on her face. 

"That's a lovely name." Betty told her and the woman's smile grew larger.

"You know, I come here everyday to feed the ducks and I've seen so many different types of couples." She said, looking at them. "And I like to watch them while they're here, see how they interact, how they talk to each other, and then I predict how long they'll last. All in my head, of course, I'd never tell them what I thought but when I saw the two of you, I couldn't resist coming over here."

"And what did you observe?" Jughead asked softly.

"You're comfortable with each other, even here in public when you aren't showing your most intimate moments, I can see it. You trust one another implicitly, a rare thing in a couple so young. I can see the love you have for one another." She said, smile still on her face. "I'll tell you a secret. You remind me of my husband and I when we were young and we've been married for nearly sixty years. I think you two will be the same."

"Oh." Betty said softly. "Um, thank you."

"That's all I wanted to say. I'll leave you to enjoy your day, the ducks will be expecting me." She said as she stood from the bench and before she walked away she gave them one last smile. "Congratulations."

It was only when she'd disappeared around the bend of the trail through the park that Betty realized that the woman had never once mentioned their age or the lack of rings on their fingers. She'd had many reactions to the obvious bump she was carrying around, from shock and almost anger to complete indifference, but the woman they'd spoken too had been none of those things. She'd been happy or at least hadn't shown any sign of disapproval and it was then that Betty noted that reaction, good or bad, could come from anyone, sometimes the ones you least expect will be the ones with the most positive attitudes.

_______

Betty and Jughead didn't get back to the hotel until darkness had already enveloped the streets and they found Veronica and Archie already inside watching Netflix on the TV. Betty hadn't even known they could get Netflix in a hotel room but apparently you could. They both looked at them as they came in and Veronica raised an eyebrow.

"Where the hell have you two been?" She asked. "Archie and I have been back for hours."

"We went a few places." Jughead said with a shrug making Veronica's eyes turn to Betty.

"We're fine V." She assured her. "We went to central park first, then we found this place that sells amazing tacos. After that we just wondered around the city, taking things in. After all if we're going to live here then we should be familiar with the places we like."

"Live here?" Archie asked, his eyes going wide. "What are you talking about?"

"Betty and I are going to move here after we graduate." Jughead said calmly as Archie stared at them.

"What about college?" He asked and Betty shrugged.

"We're going to NYU." She answered. "We figured that we could find a place close to campus to rent." 

"Do you know how expensive it is to live in New York?" Veronica asked.

"We both have a little bit saved back. We were going to put it down on an apartment this summer and find jobs before school started in the fall and then we could use our student loans on top of that." Betty said, looking at her friends. "We have thought about this V, we talked about it today and made a budget and we can do this."

"I'm not saying that you can't, I'm just saying that you should have told me sooner." She said, rolling her eyes. "Are you forgetting that I'm from New York. My father owned an apartment building in the upper east side. Now that he's in jail the property belongs to me and mom, you wouldn't even need to pay rent."

"We can't let you do that V." Betty protested. "That building brings income in for you guys, we can't just take an apartment and pay nothing for it."

"Oh please, it's a high rise Betty. The two of you taking an apartment won't even put a dent in the budget, especially since there are a few empty ones anyway. It's not like it would change the money we have coming in, it's not like I was going to kick someone out." She said but Betty bit her lip as she looked at Jughead. She knew that this was something that they'd have to talk about it first. He met her eyes and sighed.

"We'll think about it Veronica." He said. "We'll get back to you with an answer."

"Good enough." She said with a shrug.

"So, you two have already decided your futures then?" Archie asked quietly, still looking at them with sad eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that you were both going to NYU?"

"We hadn't decided yet Arch." Betty explained. "We weren't keeping it from you, we'd both gotten acceptance letters but we hadn't decided if we were going until this weekend. We both had other options but this seems like the right one for us."

"You could come to New York too, you know." Jughead said quietly beside her. "You don't have to stay in Riverdale."

"It's not like I'm going to college." Archie said. "Wouldn't people wonder why I was leaving?"

"It's none of their business." Veronica said next to him. "Tell them you're coming because we'll all be here, I got in to NYU too after all, or tell them nothing. You don't have to explain anything to anyone, except for your mother."

"I'll think about it." He said softly. 

"Like I said, there are a few empty apartments. We could take one as well." Veronica said with a shrug and Archie finally stopped looking at them as his head whipped back to Veronica so fast Betty was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash.

"Did you just ask me to move in with you?" He asked and Veronica looked at him.

"No." She said. "I'm telling you that you will because I want you there." 

Archie kissed her roughly and they promptly seemed to forget that Betty and Jughead were still in the room so she pushed him hurriedly toward their room before anyone's clothes started coming off. She shut the door firmly and prayed to every deity there was that Archie and Veronica would manage to make it to there room on the other side of the suite and not just do it on the couch because she was sure that was something she didn't need to hear.

Jughead smiled and pulled her into him for a kiss before pulling back again before their mouths had even touched which made her look at him but his eyes were on the belly between them.

"Not sure I'd ever get used to that." He said softly and she laughed.

"Well if it was a real pregnancy the growth would be gradual, I'm sure we'd adjust before I got this big." She said and he gave her a smile as he place a hand on either side of the belly.

"It's weird, you know, seeing you like this." He said as their eyes met. "But it's not a bad thing."

"What do you mean?" She asked and he shrugged lightly.

"Nothing. It's just..." He trailed off as his brow furrowed and he seemed to be looking for words in his mind. "When I look at you with this on it feels monumental, like I'm getting a glimpse of the future. _Our_ future, together. I want this, for real, one day."

"Me too." She said softly before a small smile crossed her face. "Even with the crappy genetics. I want this with you, a family, a life, hopefully better than the one either of us got."

"We'll make sure that it's better." He said, his voice low and serious. "I promise."

"And in this future of yours...." She trailed off as she looked up at him. "Do I have a ring or what?"

"Definitely." He said. "I can't wait for the day I marry you Elizabeth Cooper."

"Is that a proposal?" She asked, her eyes going wide as she stared at him. He shrugged lightly, keeping his grip on her sides to keep her from moving away.

"Do you want it to be?" He asked seriously. "We could do it, you know, get married. People do it everyday."

"You're serious?" She asked in surprise. "We're eighteen Jug."

"I don't think that should matter. I know people will talk, I know our parents would be furious, but you're it for me." He said staring at her. "You're the only person I see in my future and we both know how short life can be, we've seen first hand how things can end suddenly and unexpectedly, I just don't see why we should have to wait because of other peoples ideals of when it's right."

"You seriously want to do this?" She asked, sure that at any moment he would say he was joking but his eyes were clear of any joking emotion. He was completely serious.

"I know I don't have a ring but we could get one." He said softly. "A trip to the courthouse is all it would take. I love you and I know that you love me so why not?"

Betty stared at him for a long moment, thoughts flying through her head quickly of the shock that everyone would fell, the anger that their parents would express, of all the gossip she knew this would be sure to cause but when she looked at Jughead and saw the love shining in his eyes and the hope that she wouldn't turn him down and there was really only one thing for her to say.

"If you're in then I'm in Jug._ Yes._" She said a wide smile on her face. "Let's do this."

______

The next morning Betty woke up before Jughead and she could hear someone moving around in the lounge area so she got up, careful not to wake him, and followed the noise to find Veronica making a pot of coffee. She smiled at Betty when she noticed her coming into the room and Betty returned the smile as she sat at the breakfast bar next to her, both of them still in their pajamas.

"V, is there any way we could skip the trip to the baby store today? I think we have enough reactions for the report already." Betty asked and Veronica stared at her for a moment.

"Why?" She asked cautiously, studying Betty's face. "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all." Betty said before biting her lip and debating whether to tell her of not. "It's just that Jug and I were thinking about doing something else today."

"Yeah?" Veronica asked and Betty could hear the curiosity in her voice but she also knew that Veronica wouldn't push it if Betty didn't tell her. She blew out a breath and shrugged lightly before deciding to tell her the truth, they'd find out anyway and Veronica was Betty's best friend, she could trust her.

"Oh well, we were going to get married." Betty dropped casually, watching Veronica's face for a reaction and she didn't disappoint. Her eyes went wide as she stared at her with disbelief clear on her face.

"Are you serious?" She asked and Betty nodded.

"Yeah." She said. Veronica took a few minutes to process her words before she smiled.

"Well, I guess that means I should congratulate you." Veronica said. " Archie and I will obviously go to the courthouse with you, you'll need witnesses after all."

"That's it?" Betty asked. "You're not going to make a comment on how we're too young or anything?"

"Of course not B." She said. "You and Jughead are meant to be, written in the stars, so who cares how old you are. You're legally adults so it's not like you're doing anything illegal."

Betty opened her mouth to speak again but at that moment, Jughead stumbled into the room, his eyes squinted against the sun streaming through the windows and obviously looking for her. Betty grabbed the coffee pot from it's place and poured a cup before pressing the mug into his hand and kissing him on the cheek as he came to a stop next to her. She ran her fingers through his hair, still messy from sleep, as he wrapped an arm around her in a light hug.

"You were gone when I woke up." He said softly. "I thought maybe you'd changed your mind."

"Never." She said. "I was just letting Veronica know that we weren't going to make it to that appointment at the baby store."

Jughead finally took a moment to acknowledge Veronica's presence like he hadn't actually noticed her until Betty had mentioned her name and she rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face. She grabbed the room service menu from the table and began ordering breakfast and finally Archie came into the room rounding out their group. It was only seven in the morning and they were all out of bed which was some kind of miracle. After Veronica finished rattling off the breakfast order she put the phone back and turned to Archie with a big smile just as he was taking a drink of the coffee he'd swiped from Jughead's hand.

"Guess what." She said, her voice cheery. "Betty and Jughead are getting married."

"What?" He coughed out. Jughead smacked him on the back until he stopped choking.

"Betty and I are getting married." He said calmly. 

"Since when?" He asked and Betty pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the astonishment on his face. 

"Since I asked her last night." Jughead shrugged and Betty glanced at him.

"I mean, you technically didn't ask me." she said with a small smile. "But I said yes anyway."

"Why now?" Archie asked. "I mean you two have been together for what seems like forever so I guess I'm wondering why you decided that now was a good time for it."

"It's been a long couple of years. We've been through a lot together, all of us, but I guess it just feels right." Jughead said, squeezing Betty's shoulder with the hand that was around her shoulders. "Life is short. Too short to waste any time on worrying about other people. This is what we want, so we're gonna do it."

"Just like that?" Archie asked.

"Just like that Arch." Betty confirmed. Archie didn't speak for a minute, staring at them with a furrow between his brows like he was trying to work out a difficult math problem and Betty was sure that at any moment he was going to tell them that he thought this was a stupid idea but she should have know that Archie wasn't like that, if he thought it would make them happy then he would be all for it. What he did instead was spin to face Veronica suddenly, giving her his full attention.

"They're right Ronnie, life is short." He said and Betty's eyes widened when she realized what he was about to do. "I don't want to let people define us and I know that this is going to shock people but we should do it."

"Archie Andrews, are you proposing to me right now?!" Veronica exclaimed, her voice high and screechy. Betty and Jughead looked at him and she mouthed _Should we leave?_ to him and he shrugged, both of them afraid to move and draw attention to themselves.

"I love you Veronica. You're the girl that I want to spend the rest of my life with so," Archie dropped to his knee in front of her. "I know I don't have a ring but I want you to be the one I wake up next to every morning so....marry me."

"Oh my God." Veronica said in shock before her eyes darted to Betty and Jughead, both staring at Archie in shock. "Are you only doing this because Betty and Jughead are getting married because I don't want that to be the reason _we_ get married."

"Only in so much as they are being brave and reckless so i feel like I can be too, but I don't want to marry you just because they are. Ever since you walked into Pop's on the night that we met, I've seen this coming. I took one look at you and knew that you were going to change my life forever and you have, in so many ways it's unbelievable. When I see a funny picture or read something interesting in a book or article, my first thought is always about you, about how I need to remember this because it'll make you smile. You know all of me, the dark and the light parts, and you accept me for them and that is why I want to marry you. Because you're my other half, because just the thought pf you makes my day better than it was." Archie was staring at her, placing his whole heart in her hands and waiting for an answer.

"Yes." Veronica said, tears staining her cheeks even as a large smile broke over her face. "I'll marry you Archie."

_______

The rest of their morning was spent with Veronica changing their rooms so that they weren't sharing and Betty didn't even want to think about the reason for that particular idea because she did not want the four of them to have to discuss sex with one another. After they'd all repacked their bags and dropped them off in their respective new rooms they made their way downtown to the large courthouse to get marriage licenses. 

Veronica had decided to get the licenses first before they went shopping for dresses and rings, the plan being to return to the courthouse later in the day before it closed. She had said that the boys could use her credit card to go to the jewelry store and pick out rings, like they would have done if it wasn't all so spontaneous, while she and Betty went to buy dresses. They obviously weren't going to buy actual wedding dresses but Veronica had been adamant that the ones they did end up buying would be white which Betty hadn't been able to resist commenting on, _Because we're so virginal_, but Veronica insisted anyway.

They had to take the elevator up to the division that issued marriage licenses and had to wait in line for a few minutes before they were faced with a receptionist that looked to be around the same age of their parents and she raised an eyebrow at them as they crowded around the window.

"Can I help you?" She asked and Betty smiled.

"Yes, we're here to get a marriage license." She said and the woman's eyebrow went even higher as she studied them all.

"Two of them actually for both of us." Veronica pushed up next to her.

"I need to see ID's to make sure that you're old enough and I need the names of the people getting married to print on the license." She said and Betty could tell by her tone that she thought they were all too young, so when they all handed over their ID's and she looked at them, her face showed a hint of surprise before she made a soft humming sound. Betty pushed Veronica back behind her and beside Archie as she drew Jughead forward.

"We're the one's getting married to each other and you have our ID's so, you can just print our names on one and theirs on another and we'll be on our way." She said politely, her patented Cooper smile on her face. The woman seemed reluctant to give them the paper work but she had no basis to deny them so she began typing in her computer but when she moved to the printer to retrieve them Betty could see her muttering under her breath.

She came back to the desk behind the window and slid their ID's back through the slot along with the papers. Betty skimmed over them and then handed them to Veronica who put the both into opposite sides of a folder that she'd brought with her before snapping it shut and leading them out again. Once they made it back out to the street she whipped out her credit card and handed it over to Archie.

"When you get to the jewelry store remember that we need wedding rings as well as the engagement rings so pick something you like because you're going top wear it everyday." She said and Jughead glanced at her.

"Isn't your mother going to question why you're buying engagement rings?" Jughead asked and Veronica shrugged.

"That's why I'm giving you my credit card and not hers. If we charged something like that to hers then they'd call her but this way she won't see it until the statement comes in and by then we'll all already be married so it won't matter." She said.

"I do have one request Juggie." Betty said softly. "Pick whatever you think fits but don't get gold bands. I know that gold wedding bands are traditional and what people usually think about when they think marriage but I actually much prefer silver." 

"Noted." He said before kissing her softly. "I'll see you later."

Archie gave Veronica a similar goodbye before they turned and walked away in search of a jewelry store where they could get what they needed on short notice. Veronica looped her arm with Betty's and took off in the opposite direction. They walked for about a block and a half before they entered the mall side by side and started in the first clothing store that they saw. They'd left the bellies at the hotel today not wanting people to assume that they were getting married because they'd gotten themselves into trouble so they just looked like a couple of friends out for a day of shopping. No one around them knew that today their lives were going to change forever.

As soon as they stepped into the store they steered themselves to the dress section and searched through it for any white dresses that they liked before taking them to the dressing rooms and trying them on. Veronica insisted that they showed each pick to each other for a second opinion which took a while but neither of them found one tht they particularly liked so they moved on, floating from store to store as they searched and Betty could tell that Veronica was getting annoyed that she couldn't find one to wear but as they stepped into the fifth store of the day Betty turned to her.

"Okay, I have an idea V." She said. "We've been picking the dresses we like and trying them on but you and I are best friends and we know each other pretty well so how about you chose dresses that you think I'll like and I'll do the same. Maybe we'll finally find the ones we want to wear."

"You're a genius Betty." She said and Betty could see the light return to her eyes as they began the process of looking through the dresses once again but this time they were both looking for something different. Once Betty had a substantial amount of dresses in her hands she moved to the dressing rooms where she hug them on the hanger to be tried on and Veronica did the same after snatching a few more from the racks and they each went in to their respective dressing rooms to try them on.

Betty waited by the door of her dressing room after putting on the first dress, which she found that she actually liked despite it being simple and no where near what she thought her wedding dress would look like, for Veronica to finish changing. The dress Betty had on was a bright white color which was to be expected, it was a simple a line dress with a v-neck and was fitted at the waist, where it fell down in a flowy way to just below her knees. It looked like a simple summer dress but Betty was already kind of in love with it and hoped that Veronica had a good opinion about it.

Veronica finally made an appearance a few minutes later but Betty could tell by her face that she didn't like the dress she had picked for her as much as she'd thought she would. Betty agreed that it wasn't the right one before she stepped away from the door to her dressing room and spun in a slow circle for Veronica to take in her appearance and completed a full circle to see her face studying her.

"You like this one?" She asked and Betty nodded.

"I love it." She admitted. "I know it's simple but there's something about it that feels right."

"Well, you look great in it so I support this choice." Veronica said with a smile. "This is the one."

"Yay!" She exclaimed softly. "Now let's find yours."

"Back to the changing room." Veronica said with a sigh.

Betty ducked back into the changing room to redress in her clothes before putting the dress back on the hanger and bringing it out with her. She sat in the chairs across from the dressing rooms that was usually reserved for boyfriends being dragged on shopping trips with their girlfriends and watched as Veronica tried on each dress and came out to show her, growing more discouraged each time, and Betty could tell that she was slightly panicking that she wouldn't be able to find a dress in time but she had on e last one to try.

When she came out Betty gave her a wide smile because she seemed to be a little more relaxed as she looked at herself in the mirror and Betty stood behind her. Veronica ran her hand over the material covering her arms and finally let herself smile back. The dress was a little short for a wedding dress but Veronica liked it so they both decided that it didn't really matter, after all they'd decided they were done letting other people's opinions control them, so they got it. It fell to mid thigh and had a deep scoop neck which showed off her boobs and it had long sleeves with geometrical patterns that showed off little bits of skin through the material.

After they'd admired the dress for a minute Betty returned to the chairs to wait for her to redress before making their way to the check out counter. They made small talk with the cashier as she rang them up but neither of them mentioned that the dresses were for their weddings, not wanting to deal with the shocked silence or the judgmental eyes, until she slid the dresses into a bag and handed it over to them with a smile.

The next stop on their trip was Sephora where they were planning on having their makeup done at the makeup counter. There was thankfully no line and no one being worked on when they got there so it was easy for them to just slip into the chairs and wait as they hand their foundation matched to their skin tones.

"So what are you girls getting your makeup done for today?" One of the women asked.

"A wedding." Betty said quietly, not elaborating that it was her own, and Veronica's.

"Oh, that's lovely." The woman working on Veronica said, a genuine smile on her face.

"Yeah. We're very excited." Veronica said.

After that, they spoke quietly to one another only pausing when the makeup artists asked them a question about eye shadow colors or blush. Betty told the woman working on her that she wanted to keep her makeup mostly natural while Veronica went full out with shimmering gold shadow on her eyes and cat eyes, which seemed like a lot but actually looked fine as the gold was subtle and not glaringly in your face. Near the end of the routine Betty's phone bleeped with a text message asking where they were which she answered swiftly and by the time the finishing touches had been completed the boys appeared next to them. They didn't have any bags in their hands so Betty assumed that they had the rings on them somewhere.

While Veronica paid the makeup artists Betty hopped down off the seat and kissed Jughead softly in greeting, careful not to smudge the lipstick that had been applied to her lips, as he wrapped his arms around her. It only took a few minutes for them to be leaving the store and as soon as they stepped out the doors, Veronica rounded on the boys.

"Okay, we need to find the two of you outfits for this." She said. "We're obviously not going full suits but a pressed shirt and a blazer is a must."

And just like that, they were back in the fray, shooting from one store to the next.

______

It was an hour later when Jughead finally broke and left Veronica and Archie deciding on a blazer to go with his shirt and Betty followed him easily. He was quiet as they walked through the clothing section until she caught his arm and pulled him around to face her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"This is just a lot Betty." He said softly. "Veronica is a lot. She's very opinionated."

"Yeah, I know." Betty agreed. "But she means well."

"Do I really have to wear a stupid blazer though?" He asked. "I know that it kind of makes what we're doing more traditional but it just isn't me."

"If you don't want to wear one then don't Jug. I'll tell Veronica to back off." Betty said. "I know that she kind of hijacked this whole thing, which is fine, I don't mind but at the end of the day it's going to be me and you who are getting married and I want you to be comfortable."

"You're sure?" He asked. "I know Veronica is going to want to take pictures after we get married. Are you sure that you're okay with me not looking presentable?"

"Juggie, it wouldn't marry if you were wearing a thousand dollar suit, or your leather jacket, or even one of your old plaid shirts, I'd still marry you and be proud to show off those pictures." She said, her voice soft as she cupped his face in her hands. "Because I love you more than anything and I want other people to know that."

Jughead stared at her for a long moment before he pulled away slightly and began digging in his pockets until he pulled out a small black box and Betty's breath caught as he flipped it open even though she'd already said yes.

"I didn't do it properly the first time, so let me try again." He said. "I love you, I think I've loved you every day since the first time we met in Archie's backyard when we were only four years old, but I never thought that you'd ever pick me. That wasn't how the story was supposed to go but by some miracle, it did, and I thank god everyday that it worked out. You are my past, present and future Betty Cooper." He dropped to his knee, gaining the attention of the few people who hadn't already stopped to look. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Absolutely." She said and he grinned as he slipped the ring on her finger before standing and pulling her in for a deep kiss as applause sounded around them. When they pulled back from the kiss, Betty pressed their foreheads together as they held each other in their arms. "I love you."

When they finally pulled away from each other they found Archie and Veronica hovering to the side as they had their moment and Betty smiled as she moved toward them, pulling Jughead along behind her.

"It's getting late." She said. "We should probably pay and start heading back to the court house."

"But Jughead doesn't have a blazer yet." Veronica protested.

"It's fine V." Betty said. "I don't mind."

She stared at them as if she was going to protest for a moment before she seemed to think better of it and sighed. "I guess the shirt is good enough."

They payed quickly and hailed a taxi to take them back to the courthouse and on the way Betty took the time to examine her engagement ring. The band was silver, as she had requested, and it twisted together like vines on a tree with small inlaid emeralds on either side of the round diamond in the center. She smiled at it as it sparkled in the late afternoon sun until Jughead laced his fingers with hers and brought her attention to him once again.

"I picked the one with the emeralds because they reminded me of your eyes." He said softly and she smiled again at the gentleness of his tone.

"I love it Juggie." She said honestly. "It's perfect."

"Archie." Veronica said hesitantly, her eyes on Betty's hand, obvious that she'd been listening. "Not that I want to sound like _that_ girl but where's my engagement ring?" 

"Oh!" Archie said and pulled a small black box, almost identical to the one Jughead had given her her ring in, out of his pocket. He turned to Veronica in the sear and opened it . She gasped as Betty tried to see the ring and Archie took it out of the box and slid it onto her finger. It was a simple band with small inlaid diamonds on each side leading up to the top where the two sides of the ring met. On one side of the ring was a round diamond and next to it on the other side was a white pearl and Veronica was staring at it with tears in her eyes.

"It's beautiful Archie." She said and Betty yanked a tissue out of her purse to hand to her.

"Makeup V." She said even as tears came to her eyes as well. "We can cry later."

It made everyone in the car laugh and dispelled the tears for now but Betty found herself hoping that the makeup that they'd put on was actually waterproof because there was no way she'd get through her own wedding without tears, let alone Veronica and Archie's. They got to the court house quickly, having only been few blocks away, and they all stood on the sidewalk staring up at the building for a moment before they linked hands and entered together. Veronica flipped open the folder that she'd been carrying around in her purse the whole day and handed Betty their wedding license as they made their way up to the room where the magistrate was waiting to officiate the weddings.

There was one other couple besides them waiting in the hall and Betty found herself thankful that Veronica's plan had worked out and they wouldn't have to wait that long. She took Veronica's hand and pulled her into the bathroom so that they could change back into the dresses that they were getting married in, each of them stuffing their actual clothes into the shopping bag. They helped each other straighten out the dresses and make sure that they looked presentable. They had sent the boys off to the bathroom to get ready as well but when they came out, they were already waiting in the hall.

The other couple had apparently been called in when they were getting ready because they were the only ones left. Betty watched as Jughead's eyes traveled the length of her body taking in the dress paired with everything else, a simple silver necklace and white kitten heels, and his eyes stopped on the small silver headband in her hair which she'd left down. The headband was silver metal twisted together with faux diamonds embedded every few inches and he reached out to touch it lightly as she stopped in front of him. Veronica had a similar headband in her hair but hers was in gold.

"We thought since we weren't wearing veils that these would compensate." She shrugged and he grinned.

"I like it." He said, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her in. "You look beautiful. Both of you."

"You guys really do look amazing." Archie said sincerely.

"Thank you." Betty and Veronica said in unison then glanced at each other before devolving into giggles. This was how the magistrate found them as he cleared his throat and invited them into the room. He called only one couple but they hastily explained that they were each other's witnesses so he allowed them all into the room and closed the door behind them.

They followed him to the front where he picked up a bible and flipped it open, laying it over his palms, before looking at them. "Who's first?"

"We'll go first." Veronica said, dragging Archie forward and sitting their marriage license on the small table in front of the magistrate, who glanced at it long enough to read the names on the paper.

"Do you have rings?" He asked and Archie pulled them out of his breast pocket and handed them over. The magistrate placed them on the open bible before continuing.

"Let's begin." He said as he cleared his throat. "We stand here today to join these two souls in holy matrimony. They stand before us and ask for Your blessing on their union today and all the days to come." He paused and turned to Veronica. "Veronica Lodge, do you accept this man willingly and freely to be your lawfully wedded husband, do you promise to stand beside him in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Archibald Andrews, do you accept this woman willingly and freely to be your lawfully wedded wife, do you promise to stand beside her in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you have any vows that you wish to say to each other?" The magistrate asked and Archie nodded.

"Veronica, you came into my life only a few years ago but now I can't imagine my life without you in it. When we got together, I didn't think it would last because my relationships never did but you changed me for the better. We've had our share of fights and disagreements but never once did you turn your back on me. You're always there when I need you and I hope you feel the same. As we get married today and take this vow, I want to make my own promise to you. I promise that no matter what happens in the future that I won't walk away, I promise that I'll stay to work things out, because I never want to live in a world where I screwed up the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Betty could see that Veronica was already crying and her breath hitched as she sucked in air making Betty have to widen her eyes to keep the tears from falling as she watched her best friends become one.

"Archie, when we met everyone knew my name because of what my father had done but you never let that get in the way of becoming my friend and later becoming so much more than that. You never lost faith in me even when other's did and you always believed in me. I know that I can turn to you for anything and you'll be there, ready to help. You and I have had a difficult relationship but I never once doubted that you loved me even when we weren't together. I've never had a person love me in the way tht you do and I'm so thankful that fate threw us together because you are everything I ever wanted. I love you."

The magistrate moved forward slightly and held out the bible allowing them to take the rings from the book.

"Repeat after me." He said and they nodded. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Archie slipped the ring on her finger, nestling it next tot the engagement ring as he said the words and Veronica repeated the action moments later. They joined their hands in front of them.

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Andrews, you may kiss the bride."

Archie pulled Veronica in for a sound kiss and Betty sucked in a sharp breath to steady herself and keep the tears in for just a little longer. She still had to get through her own marriage, she couldn't afford to ruin her makeup just yet. She and Jughead moved forward as Veronica and Archie leaned over to sign the license before handing them the pens to sign on the witness line. The magistrate took the paper and replaced it with a second one identical to the first that they had to sign once again and Betty knew that the first copy was going to be filed with the court while the second one was for them to keep in their records.

After all of the paper work was done, Jughead and Betty replaced Archie and Veronica in front of the magistrate with Jughead handing over their wedding rings automatically. The magistrate glanced at their wedding license and she saw his eyes widen briefly and she knew it was probably Jughead's name that caught him. Jughead roiled his eyes playfully and she grinned. The magistrate cleared his throat and began to repeat the process.

"We stand here today to join these two souls in holy matrimony. They stand before us and ask for Your blessing on their union today and all the days to come." He turned to her. "Elizabeth Cooper, do you accept this man willingly and freely to be your lawfully wedded husband, do you promise to stand beside him in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." She said the words with a smile that Jughead returned.

"Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, do you accept this woman willingly and freely to be your lawfully wedded wife, do you promise to stand beside her in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Do you have any vows you wish to say to one another?" He asked. Jughead took a breath as their eyes met.

"You and I have known each other for most of our lives and I always had this image in my head of how things would work out. You'd be a cheerleader and prom queen and you'd marry the quarterback and have the perfect american dream while I watched from the sidelines. Some of that happened but something came and knocked you off course and sent you crashing into me and I've never been more grateful for that. This wasn't how our story was meant to go but I'm glad it did. You accepted me for who I am and have never asked me to change to fit into that perfect image and I know that you never will. I love you and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Betty pulled in a breath even as the tears slipped down her face and she smiled at him.

"You are the one person who never asked me to be perfect. You accepted my flaws and showed me your own. We've seen the worst and best of each other and we're still here. We went through hell and back together and it only made us stronger together. I know that you would never ask me to be something I'm not, you accept me as I am instead of asking me to pretend to be something that I've heard I'm supposed to be. You were the first person who ever told me that it was okay to be less than perfect, that it was okay to not be okay sometimes. You took all of my darkness and flaws and gave me back love. You're the only person I can ever imagine doing this with. Thank you for never turning your back on me. I love you."

The magistrate gave them their rings and completed the same steps as he had with Archie and Veronica. As Betty slipped the ring on Jughead's finger she could see the tears in his eyes to mirror her own.

"I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Jones. You may kiss the bride."

Jughead hauled her into him the moment the words left the magistrates mouth and their lips met. The kiss tasted salty from their tears but neither of them cared as they poured all their emotions into it and into each other. When they finally managed to separate, they signed the papers along with Archie and Veronica. The magistrate told them that the papers would likely be filed tomorrow because of the late hour before he sent them on their way and closed the doors firmly behind them. They were married and it seemed to hit them all at the same time as they stopped in the doorway and stared at each other with wide eyes.

"I can't believe we actually just did that." Veronica said.

"Me either." Archie said. 

"Do you two already regret it?" Betty asked incredulously.

"Not at all." Veronica said. "But we're not usually this spontaneous. Archie literally proposed this morning and Jughead did the same last night and here we are, married. It was a quick progression."

"Jesus, we have school tomorrow." Archie said, seemingly in shock. They all slowly realized that he was right. This weekend had felt like an almost out of body experience but they still had a few weeks of school to complete. It took a moment for any of them to find words but eventually Jughead scoffed.

"Well we're obviously not going tomorrow." He said. "We'd never get home in time to sleep."

"Fair enough." Veronica said with a shrug.

"Speaking of sleep, we should get back to the hotel." Betty said and Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Right, as if any of us is going to sleep tonight." She said.

"Okay V!" Archie said. "Definitely time to go."

_______

Once they got back to the hotel Betty found herself thankful that Veronica had had the foresight to get them separate rooms because the moment the door clicked closed behind them Jughead had his lips attached to her neck and she was making soft sounds. They spent the next couple of hours christening the entire hotel room and Betty was sure that the people in the other rooms were tired of them by then and she hoped that sound didn't travel as much as she thought it did. Eventually after multiple rounds they exhausted themselves and Betty decided that a bath would be good.

She filled the large tub with warm water and added some lightly scented bubbles to it before she dragged Jughead in with her and settled back against him. The bathroom had a large window surrounding the tub that you could draw the curtains around but Betty had left them open so they could see the city lit up in the darkness. She was almost certain that the people in the apartment building next to the hotel could see in to their room but she couldn't find it in herself to care as they relaxed together.

"Do you regret it?" Jughead asked.

"No." Betty answered. "I'd never regret marrying you."

"Our parents are going to be pissed." He said softly. "Especially your mother."

"I know but it's not like they can say anything, we're legally adults." She said. "Maybe they'll nag us about it for a while but we only have to get through the next few weeks and then we can come back to New York. They'll get over it eventually."

"Yeah." He said as he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. "Do you think we should take Veronica up on her offer, about the apartment?"

"It's in a good part of the city and if we take it then we could save some money. Veronica was right, it is extremely expensive to live in New York, so it would help us a lot." Betty shrugged lightly. "But only if you're comfortable with it Jug. I know that you don't like to take things from people for free."

"Only because I know that eventually they'll expect something back for it. Nothing is ever actually free." He said. "But this is Veronica who'e offering. I know that she and I don't always see eye to eye on things but I trust her and it _would_ help."

"We can come back another weekend and take a tour of the apartment, see if we like it." Betty suggested. "We don't have to decide right away."

"That's actually a good idea." Jughead said. 

"I tend to have those sometimes." Betty said teasingly and he laughed softly.

"Most of your ideas are good ones." He said. "It's a talent."

"Marrying you was the best idea I've ever had." She said.

"I'd argue that that was more my idea." He said and she smiled softly as she leaned her head back on his shoulder.

"Okay, I'll give you that." She said. "Still one of the best ideas."

"So you're really okay with how we did this?" He asked. "I know that a trip to the courthouse wasn't your idea of a perfect wedding, at least it wasn't when we were younger."

"It was a perfect wedding because I married you." Betty said softly. "Everything else doesn't really matter. If we want to have a big wedding for our friends and family later then we can do that but I wouldn't change a thing about the way it happened. As long as I got you at the end of it I don't care about having some arbitrary celebration."

"I'm glad you said yes." He said as he pulled her closer with his arms around her waist. "I couldn't imagine marrying anyone else. You're it for me Betty Cooper."

Betty turned in his arms and met his eyes. "That's not my name."

"Sorry." He said, cupping her face in his hands. "You're it for me Betty Jones."

Their lips met in a soft kiss as they each poured their emotions into the gesture. Betty adjusted herself for a moment before she sank down on his already hard cock and released a soft sigh into their kiss. His hands came to rest on her hips as she rolled her hips forward slowly, neither of them moving to sped up the pace, content to take their leisurely time and let the pleasure come to them. 

Betty felt him deep inside her, their bodies clicked together like two puzzle pieces, as they continued kissing. The water rippled around them as they moved against each other and their wet skin glistened under the lights. When Betty finally pulled out of the kiss she pushed his hair back from his face and their eyes met.

"I love you." She said, her voice breathy.

"I love you too." He said.

Their bodies pressed together as close as they could be and as she moved she felt his hit that spot deep inside her and her breath hitched as the shock ran through her. Every few strokes he'd hit that spot and her body wanted her to grind against him hard and fast as she chased the high but she forced herself to keep the slow pace. His hands ran along her sides lightly and they put all their emotions and feelings into each touch, pouring their love into each other for the whole world to see.

She kissed him again and he nibbled on her lip lightly and she opened up to let him in, their tongues warring with each other, as she felt his hand slide up her back and curl in her hair. He pulled out of the kiss a few moments later and used the hand in her hair to turn her head to the side and his lips went to the pulse point in her neck. He licked the skin their before he began sucking softly and she felt the pressure low in her belly start to build. 

The change in her breathing obviously alerted him because he wrapped an arm around her, his other hand still in her hair, and used his strength to still her body. She whimpered lowly in protest before her began helping her move again and she realized that she'd unconsciously sped her movements and he was reigning her in to keep the slow pace that they'd established. The pressure built slowly making her moan low in her throat as every pass against that spot deep inside her increased her pleasure. Finally, like a cup under a steady drip one more thrust and she spilled over into blinding pleasure. 

She clung to him and buried her face in his shoulder as her body clenched tight around him and the sounds of her pleasure echoed off the walls. He pulled his mouth from her neck and she felt him thrust into her roughly a few times before his hands tightened on her hips. After the orgasm had subsided Betty moved and he slid out of hers she gave him a soft kiss. 

"I don't want to go back." Betty said softly. "I just want to stay here with you forever."

"I think people would miss us." Jughead said easily. 

"I know." She said. "I just don't want to go back and have to listen to other people's opinions on our marriage. I don't want to hear them say that they think we were wrong to do it. "

"Then don't listen to them." He said, looking at her seriously. "This is about you and me, about how we feel about each other, that's what matters. Other peoples opinions don't mean anything, okay?"

"Okay."

_______

Their parents were pissed obviously but they couldn't change anything. Mary and Hermione had gotten together and shouted at Veronica and Archie for two hours straight before taking them out to Pop's to have a serious conversation about the future once everyone had calmed down. Alice and FP had been harder to deal with as they had jumped to the conclusion that Betty was pregnant and that was why they'd done something so reckless. Alice wouldn't accept it when Betty had told her that that wasn't the case and had insisted on taking her to the doctor to confirm. When it was pointed out that she wasn't Alice had yelled some more before giving her the silent treatment for a couple of weeks but she showed up at graduation so Betty counted that as a win and knew that they'd work it out eventually. FP had sided with Alice at first and had been angry but after speaking to Betty and Jughead, both separately and together, about the marriage he had accepted it.

Their friends had been shocked but most of them had had some time to adjust to it by the time they came home due to the instagram post that Veronica had insisted upon for all of them.Cheryl had commented that she hadn't actually believed that they'd done it until they came home with rings and a name change in the school records. They'd all accepted the marriages easier than any of their parents had and everything had gone back to normal. At graduation, Betty and Veronica had been presented with diplomas that said_ Elizabeth Jones_ and _Veronica Andrews_ respectively and the people in town who had missed the whole thing were surprised when their names had been called.

A week after they graduated they were packing up to move into their new apartments. Veronica and Archie had taken the penthouse apartment that hadn't been rented out and Betty and Jughead ended up in the apartment directly below them which was only a little smaller than theirs. The first year of college put a strain on their relationship but they always worked it out and made a promise to never go to bed angry. When they graduated college together four years later, Veronica insisted that they had an actual wedding so they had a double wedding which they invited their old friends and the new ones they'd made to, and they'd renewed their vows to one another in front of everyone.

Marriage wasn't easy and they had fights but they never once regretted their choice. Getting married at eighteen wasn't ever in the plan and it always surprised people when they asked how long they;d been married and they told them the truth but it was something none of them would change. It had been impulsive and reckless but it had worked out better than any of them would have thought and years later when their kids asked they always told them the truth, the good _and_ the bad parts of getting married young. People would always ask what made Jughead ask Betty to marry him that night and he'd always tell them about the project in parenting class and his thoughts when he looked at her with that fake baby bump. He'd say that when he looked at her it was like was staring at the future and he couldn't see anything but her so he'd asked her to marry him because he knew in that moment that he'd never feel about anyone else the way he felt about her. He'd known that she was his future and he'd seen no reason to wait. The story always made Betty cry no matter how many times she heard it.

**Author's Note:**

> P.s. I know that marriage licenses don't work like this, especially in New York, and you have to apply for them and go through a whole process but this is a story so I tweaked the rules a little.
> 
> Betty's Wedding Dress: https://www.colorsbridesmaid.com/p/simple-a-line-v-neck-zipper-knee-length-ruching-party-dresses-21392/white.html  
Betty's Engagement Ring: https://www.allurez.com/index.phpfile=product_build_detail&products_id=41445&carat_sel=yes&quality_sel=yes&ver=2&newui=77
> 
> Veronica's Wedding Dress:http://www.romprom.com/a-line-scoop-long-sleeves-short-white-lace-homecoming-dress.html  
Veronica's Engagement Ring: http://perhandafasa.blogspot.com/2016/01/pearl-and-diamond-ring.html


End file.
